I wrote this short story several months ago; based on the Biblical account of the healing of Naaman. I'd appreciate feedback!
The house of Naaman had been in uproar all that hot day. Now, in the cooler evening, a slave girl stood behind her mistress' chair and combed her long hair.
Earlier, the wife of Naaman had wept, but now she sat dry-eyed, staring ahead with the tear-tracks still on her face. Today, while first dealing with the reality of her husband's leprosy, she had had no one attend her but this Israelite slave girl, who had become a favorite during her two years of captivity. The thin dark girl combed gently without speaking.
They said the king was beside himself. The commander of all his armies would soon be unfit to lead; and it was said Naaman had the blessing of the Hebrew God, for through him came the greatest victories Syria had known. Already the city's eminent physicians had been summoned, and one by one dismissed in disgust. Naaman, one of the most powerful men in Syria and the king's trusted general, was destined for a life of disease and loneliness.
The young slave girl had been shocked, along with the other servants, when the news reached them. Naaman was often gone from home, but none could call him cruel, and there were far worse fates than to be a slave in his household. She wondered with the others about the future. She also pondered other things.
Though, as a terrified captive, the girl had first hated her new owners, two years had softened her resentment to resignation, and finally to affection. She had always been a resiliently happy girl. After the fright of her first month of captivity, the girl could always find something to sing about; and her gentle joy endeared her to Naaman's wife, who appointed her a personal handmaiden. It was this bond, as close as could ever come between a maid and mistress, and concern for her intense grief that made the girl speak out.
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